Action aplenty at Teretonga

Alex Little, ahead of defending champion Troy Wheeler, on his way to winning race one of Saturday's NZ Super Truck Racing, part of the Speedworks Motorsport NZ Championship meeting held at Teretonga Park last weekend. Photo: Shane Todd

THERE was plenty of racing action at the Speedworks Motorsport NZ Championship meeting at Teretonga Park near Invercargill last weekend.

Clement Novalak, a British domiciled Frenchman, won the Spirit Of A Nation feature race for the Castrol Toyota Racing Series cars in his sixth-ever car race, with Marcus Armstrong, of Christchurch, and Richard Verschoor, of the Netherlands, second and third, respectively.

Earlier in the weekend Verschoor won the Saturday race from both Ferrari Academy drivers, Russian Robert Schwartzman and Armstrong.

Juan Manuel Correa, of the United States, won on Sunday morning from James Pull, of the United Kingdom, and Armstrong. Novalak was penalised for a start infringement after crossing the line second.

Invercargill driver Brendon Leitch had a difficult weekend, with a best finish of fifth.

Wellington’s Alex Little won both of Saturday’s NZ Super Truck races from West Australian Rob Waters and his father Malcolm Little. However, there was plenty of drama along the way, with Malcolm Little losing his qualifying time after exceeding the speed limit trucks are governed to and then reigning NZ Super Truck Champion Troy Wheeler, of Papakura, lost second place in the opener for the same reason.

On Sunday, Winton truck driver Garry Price won the first contest from Tony Brand, of Rangiora, and Ash Hay, of Masterton, before Alex and Malcolm Little scored a one-two in the finale.

In the BNT V8s, Australian-based Kiwi Andre Heimgartner beat team-mate Australian Jason Bargwanna in the first race on Saturday, while Albany driver Brock Timperley and Chelsea Herbert were first and second in Class 2.

Invercargill driver Liam MacDonald was excluded from the results because of a technical infringement when a carburettor insulator plate was found to be .34mm oversized.

On Sunday, Bargwanna reversed the result over his team-mate while MacDonald won Class 2 from Timperley.

The final race was a reverse grid and Nissan driver Nick Ross, of Cambridge, won in a great result after a big crash on Saturday, while Timperley led MacDonald home in Class 2.

The Formula 1600 races provided some of the best racing, with Aucklanders Callum Hedge and Josh Bethune battling it out in the first race on Saturday. Hedge took victory before both were penalised for indiscretions, leaving Kurt Peterson, of Auckland, to win from Riverton driver Ethan Anderson and Australian Tommy Smith in his second-ever race meeting.

Later in the day, Hedge took the win from Bethune and Bailey Paterson, of Christchurch, after another close race.

On Sunday, Hedge and Bethune took a win apiece.

Christchurch driver Paul Kelly crossed the line first in all three Pirelli Porsche races. However, he copped a 10-second penalty because of a start line infringement in the first race, dropping him to third behind fellow Cantabrian Hayden Knighton and Auckland’s Brian McGovern.

On Sunday morning Kelly bounced back to win from Knighton and McGovern before heading McGovern and Knighton in the third.

Jack Milligan, of Christchurch, took victory in Saturday’s Toyota 86 race from 15-year-old Jaden Ransley, also of Christchurch, and Michael Scott, of Te Puke. Scott won both of Sunday’s races from Jordan Baldwin, of Auckland, and Milligan after Ransley hit the wall hard on Sunday morning after an incident that saw Aucklander Bramwell King penalised with a pit lane drive-through.

Geoff Washbourne, of Rolleston, in a Aston Martin Vigilante, won the OSCA Super Saloon race on Saturday from Michael Gallagher, of Ashburton (Mazda RX7) and Lawrence Knowler, of Clyde, in a Brennan Camaro. Alan Turner, of Southbridge, won both Sunday races in a Mitsubishi Mirage.

On Saturday, the Speed Works Rush Hour race was won by Paul Kelly and Daniel Gaunt in their Porsche.The next meeting at Teretonga Park is the Evolution Motorsport Classic SpeedFest on February 17-18